Sharp decline in candidates appearing for Pakistan medical college test

There was a sharp decline in candidates appearing for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT), conducted on Sunday in a large number of centres across Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, this year compared to the past, officials said.

PMDC figures showed that the number of MDCAT candidates has fallen from 204,253 in 2022 to 138,160 in 2026.

The reason behind the downward trend in the number of candidates in the MDCAT test is not precisely known but it is believed that the exorbitant fees charged by private medical and dental charges may be one of the primary reasons.

The PDMC conducted the test across 34 cities in Pakistan and at an international examination centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The examination was originally scheduled for Aug.16 but was postponed to Sept.20 at the direction of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who instructed the relevant authorities to conduct a more transparent and organised admission test.

The PMDC said that a total of 138,160 candidates registered for the examination nationwide. Punjab has the highest number of registered candidates with 49,199, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with 38,841 and Sindh with 34,233.

The PMDC said 9,923 candidates registered in Balochistan, while 2,761 candidates are registered in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 1,721 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 1,245 in Islamabad. As many as 237 candidates registered to take the examination at the Riyadh centre.

Separate question papers were prepared for each province, with at least two different papers designed for every province, the PMDC said, and added that each paper comprises 180 questions.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), the representative body of the medical fraternity, said the number of candidates stood at 194,133 in 2021 and increased to 204,253 in 2022, before dropping to 180,534 in 2023 and 182,000 in 2024. The figure fell further to 140,071 in 2025, and about 138,160 candidates applied this year.

The PMA said even repeated extensions in the registration timeline failed to reverse the declining trend. Following the rescheduling of the MDCAT to Sept 20, the PMDC reopened its registration portal for five days, from Aug 17 to 21, to facilitate candidates affected by regional disruptions and administrative delays.

However, only 2,063 additional candidates registered during the extended period, taking the final tally to just over 138,160. The PMA described the limited response as evidence of a “structural decline in interest” rather than merely a result of missed deadlines or administrative difficulties.